this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2026
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Space

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Erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries, kiwis and many red fruits, also apparently exists in a giant molecular cloud of gas and dust near the center of our galaxy, some 26,745 light-years from Earth. This marks the first time a sugar has been seen in interstellar space. The results have been published in Nature Astronomy

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[–] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago

So based on my experience it will be a cloud of mold next week

[–] omega_x3@lemmy.world 13 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Must... protect... sugar. Thieves everywhere. The strong must protect the sweet. The sweet... In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. Hey! Get off my sugar! Bad bees! Bad! Ow! Ow!! Oh, they're defending themselves somehow!

[–] MrKoyun@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

Something's a little OFF here

[–] oxbech@feddit.dk 42 points 23 hours ago (1 children)
[–] DirtPuddleMisfortune@feddit.org 12 points 20 hours ago (2 children)
[–] Cnkcv@lemmy.ca 9 points 18 hours ago
[–] Wildone@sh.itjust.works 4 points 16 hours ago

What's mine say?

[–] RickyRigatoni@piefed.zip 22 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

So uh. What are the implications about extraterrestrial life here? Are there ways to make massive amounts of sugar that are non-biological?

[–] gigiocor@lemmy.eco.br 12 points 16 hours ago

As a biologist, I have a guess, but take it as an informed guess : Pseudo-panspermia is a hypothesis in which life on Earth was created because organic molecules already existed in the universe, and fell on Earth, where the conditions were right for the processes that generate life, like a primordial soup. Discovering complex molecules in space supports the Pseudo-panspermia hypothesis, and if this process happened on Earth, it is possible that it happened in other planets where the conditions were also right.

[–] SillyDude@lemmy.zip 16 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

The dust that pervades the cloud’s cold, dark depths is key. Dust offers surfaces for atoms and molecules to glom onto, allowing them to become larger and more complex; it also blocks ultraviolet radiation and other high-energy light that could otherwise tear apart bigger compounds as they grow. Deeper in the clouds, more dust blocks more radiation, temperatures drop, and water and carbon dioxide ices coat the dust grains, along with molecules of increasing complexity.

I can imagine a small amount being created by happenstance but not a large amount

I can imagine a small amount being created by happenstance but not a large amount

[–] joeljoelle@piefed.blahaj.zone 28 points 22 hours ago (2 children)
[–] crimson_iris@piefed.social 2 points 11 hours ago

First we get the sugar, then we get the power, then we get the women.

[–] Protoknuckles@lemmy.world 23 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Is this the first calorie source found in space?

[–] eleijeep@piefed.social 18 points 21 hours ago

A moment on the lips, 1x10^18^ seconds on the hips.

[–] Korkki@lemmy.ml 12 points 22 hours ago (2 children)
[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 13 points 21 hours ago

Milky Way IPA, because we already named a bunch of hops after space names

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 1 points 14 hours ago

This explains the alcohol nebula.

[–] Shameless@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Welcome to the frosted zone

[–] raspirate@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

I'm getting some subtle optical illusion effect from the thumbnail. It's a bit like this.

[–] Danarchy@lemmy.nz 1 points 22 hours ago

A lil sweetener pack in gods cup o’ joe

[–] omega_x3@lemmy.world 0 points 17 hours ago

Must... protect... sugar. Thieves everywhere. The strong must protect the sweet. The sweet... In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. Hey! Get off my sugar! Bad bees! Bad! Ow! Ow!! Oh, they're defending themselves somehow!